Baptist Tracts and Missions: September 2015

And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 11:19

Saturday Bible Stories for Kids

(home-based)

At first, it was just a dream. Please remember that we started the tracts ministry almost 3 years ago in Cantilan because of little children.

When we (Mike and Luisa Carey) started the children ministry, it was just a 4-day DVBS type, home-based "school" with our nephews and nieces as our "pupils". That was April 2013 in Cantilan. They loved it and wanted to do it again that December Christmas break. But God had another plan. We were transferred to Tandag City that November because of many reasons. We did not know it was expansion of tract distribution province-wide.

Pictures of Children Ministry in Cantilan.

With the transfer of residence is the desire to continue the home-based Children Ministry. We began to make friends with children in the neighborhood and started meeting them afternoons of Saturdays when they were available. We thought we were on the right tract.

One Saturday afternoon, a new child came to our house to become part of the "school". We accepted her because of her interest. A few minutes later, her mother came (she was a police woman) shouting and disturbing us, treating us as if we were child molesters, Mike being a foreigner. We can understand her ire as a mother (there was one case of a foreigner molesting street children in Tandag years ago), but we thought being a police officer, she would have dealt the situation professionally so that there would be no embarrassment later on her part. A DSWD (social welfare) employee even visited us (she was sent by her) to investigate only to find out our good intentions. It was very discouraging. Satan thought he won it all.

We stopped the children ministry because we were truly hurt. We did not want to have another embarrassing incident. We thought it was not God's will afterall. Yet, the children kept coming at our home to request for "bible stories". That opened our eyes. In prayer we entrust the ministry to God. He would protect and guide us. Furthermore, He would determine whether we continue or not. When He wills it, it will stand despite oppositions. We are doing it voluntarily because we are not legally considered missionaries. Mike is a divorcee. We understand the biblical principle on that and we believe we were forgiven long ago for not knowing. Therefore, it is up to God to provide the means (art materials, school supplies, snacks after the "bible stories", and expenses for photocopies of materials) plus the wisdom and ability to become teachers despite our physical inabilities.

Then God sent people to donate learning materials. In fact, one American couple who became our friend in Davao City, bought school supplies enough for the kids. Our sister donated some used crayons and other supplies, and our cousin and her father are sending us more supplies from the US.

God sent us a donor.

We do not know for how long this would last. We do not even know we would again be transferred to another residence in another area next year. We trust the Lord to use us wherever He wants us to go, in sickness and in health. He did it in tract distribution, He will do it in children ministry. Financially we have meager, but our God is rich and has shown us exactly how He supplied our needs.